Telephone-dial attachment



R. GAYLQRD TELEPHONE DIAL ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 11, 1923 Patented Jan.6, 1925 starts inane BOSS GAYLOR-D, OF LOS CALIFORNIA.

TELEPHONE-DEAL ATTACHMENT.

Application filed January 11, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Ross GAYLURD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Telephone-DialAttachments, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates ,to a telephone dial attachment suitablefor use on automatic telephones, it being a special object of myinvention to increase the reliability and the efficiency of instrumentsof this character.

As will be understood, it is customary in the use of telephones of thecharacter referred to, for one subscriber to secure a desired connectionwith another subscriber by dialing the number of the latter. To do this,it is only necessary to insert a finger successively opposite each ofthe respective digits of the desired number and thereby rotate a fingerplate or equivalent element relatively to a dial bearing figures until.the finger contacts with a finger stop, it being intended that thefinger shall be withdrawn after each rotation of the finger slate and asoon as the finger contacts with the finger stop. In practice it isfound that subscribers who are of a nervous temperament or who are inhaste, frequently omit to withdraw the finger after it has contactedwith the finger stop, and such subscribers often attempt to acceleratethe return of the finger plate to its normal position in preparation forthe dialing of another figure. The mechanism of an automatic telephoneis, however, provided with a governor which is adapted to effect areturn of the finger plate at a most favorable rate of speed; and anyeffort on the part of a subscriber to accelerate this return or to sweatthe instrument, is likely to result in a defective response and thecalling ofa wrong number. It is a primary object of my invention toobviate this danger of a defective response and the calling of a wrongnumber from the cause referred to. That is to say, it is the aim of myinvention to provide means which shall make it impossible for asubscriber to turn a finger plate back, the subscriber being obliged, inorder to get any result whatever, to withdraw his finger and let thefinger plate run back under the action of the governor providedtherefor.

It is a further object of my invention to fieri No. 611,983.

provide comparatively simple means for the purpose indicated; andpreferably means which may be manufactured at a moderate cost andattached to telephones of a type already in extensive use.

it is believed that the general character of my invention will bereadily understood from the following description of a preferredembodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 may be described as an elevaion of so much of thedialing mechanism of an automatic telephone as is pertinent to mypresent invention, only the parts to the left of the line AA and abovethe line BB being novel.

Fig. 2 is then a top plan view showing a dial bearing figures and afinger plate provided with corresponding apertures, this being a deviceof a type which is already in use, except that I have modified thecentral arbor to receive a pin of the character shown in Fig. 5, thispin being suitable for use in securing the additional and novelsubsidiary finger plate which is shown in Fig. 3; and the type of fingerstop which has heretofore been employed being indicated, for purposes ofcomparison, in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is also a top plan view, this figure showing in addition my novelsubsidiary finger plate, which is provided on its upper surface with amovable pawl and is adapted to overlie the finger plate shown in Fig. 2.My novel plate provided with a complete circle of 12 finger holes isshown as superimposed upon the usual plate provided with 10 holes, andthe position of a fixed ratchet wheelwith which the mentioned pawl mayengage is indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a bottom View showing the modi fied form of finger stop whichI prefer to employ inorder to carry the fixed ratchet wheel indicated indotted lines in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows a pin adapted to be seated in the central arbor shown inFig. 2, thereby securing the mentioned parts in their desiredrelationship.

Fig. '6 is a top plan View of a complete device assembled as shown inFig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, .1 indicates a casing within whichessential parts of an automatic telephone may be housed, and 2 indicatesa dial secured thereto and provided with figures 1, 2, 3, etc,

this dial having a central boss asindicated at 2 in Fig. 1. Above thiscentral boss, and mounted for rotation with an arbor Z3, is a fingerplate a, which, in telephones of the type referred to, is customarilyprovided with ten apertures, one of these apertures being normallyopposite each of the digits shown upon the relatively fixed dial, andthe finger plate being adapted for the in sertion' of a finger oppositeany desired eli it, the finger plate being then rotated until the fingercontacts with a finger stop shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2), and thenpermitted to return automatically.

My invention, in the preferred embodiment shown, involves the providingof a central aperture 5 in the mentioned arbor 3, and within thisaperture Inlay secure a pin 6, adapted to provide suitable bearing meansfor a second and subsidiary finger plate 7, of my improved construction.

There being ordinarily ten apertures in the usual finger plate i, Ipreferto provide a complete circle of apertures, to-wit, twelveapertures in my subsidiary plate 7, in order that, although this plateismovable in only one direction, there shall always be an apertureopposite each of the figures on the dial 2.

It being desired that the finger plate 7 shall be capable of rotation inone direction only, I prefer to provide thereon a pawl 8 pivoted at 9 tothe plate 7 and adapted to be drawn into engaging position by the spring10. In order to provide a fixed ratchet element adapted to be engaged bythe pawl 8, I prefer to employ a unique type of finger stop, as shown inFig. 4. Only so much of this figureas appears to the right of the lineA-A is of usual construction, my preferred form of finger stop beingprovided with an expanded extension 11 which is provided with a centralaperture 12, adapted to fit upon the bearing 13 of the mentioned pin 6,and provided with a ratchet wheel l l, which may be integral therewithor secured thereto by means of screws 15. The threaded portion 16 of thepin 6 being adapted to engage corresponding threads within the mentionedaperture '5 on the arbor 3, the final application of securing means suchas the nut 17 and the lock nut 18 sufiices to hold all of the mentionedparts in their assembled relationship.

From the foregoing description it will bev understood that, the fingerplate 4 being free to rotate or oscillate in either direction, and thesuperimposed plate 7 being adapted to rotate in one direction only,whenever an operative, inserting a finger opposite any one of thefigures appearing upon the dial 2, shall move the two finger platestogether as far as may be permitted by the stop 19 (which may be securedby screws 20, in the usual way), it will be necessary for him; to

withdraw his finger, in order to permit the finger plate 4 to run backat the'optimum speed, and under the control of the governor mechanismprovided in telephones of this character.

It will'be' understood by those skilled in the art that, although I havedescribed in detail one preferred embodiment of my invention, var ousparts thereof and various modifications therein might-be made with outnecessitating departure from the spirit and scope of my invention as thesame is indicated in the foregoing description and in the followingclaims.

What I claim is:

1. In an automatic telephone, a housing, an indicia bearing dial mountedupon said housing, an arbor adapted to be rotated to operate thetelephone, an actuating dial having finger holes adapted to registerWith the indicia on said indicia bearing dial rigidly secured to saidarbor, a second dial having finger holes adapted to register with thefinger holes in said actuating dial, and means for permitting saidsecond dial to rotate in only one direction.

2. In an automatic. telephone, a housing, an indicia bearing dialmounted upon said housing, an arbor adapted to be rotated to operate thetelephone, an actuating dial having finger holes adapted to registerwith the indicia on said indicia bearing dial rigidly secured to saidarbor, a second dial having finger holes adapted to register with thefinger holes in said actuating dial, a finger stop secured to saidhousing, and means associated with said fingerstop for preventingrotation of said second dial in one direction.

3. In an automatic telephone, a housing, an arbor rotatably secured tosaid housing and adapted to actuate the mechanism of said telephone, anactuating dial secured to said arbor, a second dial secured to saidarbor and rotatable thereon, a ratchet wheel fixedly secured about saidarbor and a pawl carried by said second dial adapted to engage saidratchet wheel whereby said second dial will be permitted to rotate inonly one direction.

4:. In an automatic telephone, a housing, an arbor rotatably secured tosaid housing and adapted to actuate the mechanism of said telephone, anactuating dial secured to said arbor, a second dial secured to saidarbor and rotatable thereon, a finger stop secured to said housing andto said arbor, a ratchet wheel secured about said arbor and to saidfinger stop and a pawl carried by said second dial adapted to engagesaid ratchet wheel thereby permitting said sec ond dial to rotate inonly one direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification,

ROSS GAYLORD.

